Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Review: Oppression by Jessica Therrien


Oppression
Jessica Therrien
(Children of the Gods #1)
Publication date: September 2nd 2015
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Elyse knows what it means to keep a secret. She’s been keeping secrets her whole life. Two, actually. First, that she ages five times slower than average people, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she’s closer to eighty. Second, that her blood has a mysterious power to heal. For Elyse, these things don’t make her special. They make life dangerous. After the death of her parents, she’s been careful to keep her secret as closely guarded as possible. Now, only one other person in the world knows about her age and ability. Or so she thinks. Elyse is not the only one keeping secrets. There are others like her all over the world, descendants of the very people the Greeks considered gods. She is one of them, and they have been waiting for her for a long time. Some are waiting for her to put an end to centuries of traditions that have oppressed their people under the guise of safeguarding them. Others are determined to keep her from doing just that. But for Elyse, the game is just beginning – and she’s not entirely willing to play by their rules.
The complete series:
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My Thoughts
I truly enjoyed reading Oppression. Therrien did a wonderful job keeping me so focused on what I was reading that I didn't even realize how much time had elapsed as I flipped the pages.  My Kindle actually became an extension of my arm with this one!

Having to choose a favorite character is like having to choose a favorite book.  Elyse and all of her friends are rather lovable and rather believable.  I did find Elyse to be rather annoying at times, but only because her concerns were sometimes written in an extra superficial way.  However, I am really looking forward to seeing how she grows in the next two books.

Let's take a second to talk about the romance in this book.  It's definitely there, but it was the only part of this book that I felt was a bit poorly written.  I mean, here we are, with two people who just met and are already deeply in love.  Yes, it is super cute!  Yes, it made me smile!  I just wish that there would have been more drama so that I have to hang on to the idea of maybe they will be together or won't they?  I prefer when it is killing me to know!

However, this book includes their romance but it is not set completely around it.  It is, however, set upon the ideas of Greek mythology which I believe that Therrien did a terrific job researching.  I would definitely love to have a copy of this series in my classroom library.  As my juniors study Greek mythology, I believe that this would be a fantastic series for girls who are interested in seeing these same gods and goddesses discussed in a more modern way.  It would also be a fantastic way for students to introduce themselves to the mythology before seeking further and deeper knowledge.  I am in total support of that!

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Author Bio:
Jessica Therrien is the author of the young adult paranormal fiction series Children of the Gods. Book one in the series, Oppression, became a Barnes & Noble best-seller shortly after its release.
Aside from her Children of the Gods series, Jessica’s work can also be found in a published collection of flash fiction stories called Campaigner Challenges 2011. Out of over 350 submissions her story, The Soulless, won first place for people’s choice and fourth place in the judging round of Rachael Harrie’s Writing Campaign Challenge. Her story, Saved, is also available as part of the anthology.
Jessica spent most of her life in the small town of Chilcoot, California, high up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In this town of nearly 100 residents, with no street lights or grocery stores, there was little to do but find ways to be creative. Her mother, the local English teacher, inspired her to do all things artistic, and ultimately instilled in her a love for language.
In 2003, Jessica attended California State University Long Beach where her passion for language found her studying Chinese, and in 2005 she moved to Taiwan to study abroad. From 2005 to 2006 Jessica was fully immersed in the Chinese language as she attended National Taiwan University, and in 2008 she graduated from San Diego State University magna cum laude.
Jessica currently lives in Irvine with her husband and two sons. She is working on an adult novel and a children’s picture book.


4 comments:

  1. Ever since I read Percy Jackson a few years ago I've been loving Greek mythology in books! This sounds like a good read overall!

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  2. Thank you so much for reading!! I hope you read book 2, because there is definitely more drama in the love story as you continue ;) I'd love to donate some books to your classroom. Email me at therrien.jessica@gmail.com if you're interested and I'll send them your way. Thanks again :)

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    Replies
    1. You are amazing! My students would love that! Thanks for stopping by :)

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